There are several types of tournaments that can be used for pickleball competition. The simplest and least time consuming is a single elimination tournament. Teams are placed in a 4-team; 8-team; 16-team; or 32-team draw. If there is an odd-number of teams entered, byes are placed at the top and bottom of the draw. The #1 seeded team (the best team) is placed at the top of the draw and the #2 seeded team (the second best team) is placed at the bottom of the draw. As long as a team continues to win, they move out to the right. If a team loses, that team is eliminated. Theoretically, the two best teams, then, play each other in the final match. The advantage of this type of tournament is that it is the quickest to run on a minimum number of courts. The disadvantage is that a team is assured of playing only one match.

The other types of tournaments are: single elimination with consolation; double elimination; round robin and drop down. These formats will be explained at a later date.